Partnership
by IntoxicatedXtc
Summary: An unhealthy obsession with Slade leaves Robin confused with the thoughts in his heads and his actions that follows. Betrayal, Trust...All easily damaged and broken. [SladexRobin]


_Slade/Robin R_

* * *

** ...Partnership...**

Charades weren't enough. 

He wanted Robin more than every once in a while...wanted to see him more than ever fight, every duel. But, they couldn't be found, couldn't be discovered. Could never be discovered. It was so perfect between him and Robin...hate, betrayal, trust, and even love. 

It took them a while though; to accept the mind bending reality of fighting was only caused by fear. Took Robin a while to accept that he was only fighting something he was scared of being, and becoming. Robin always knew he was a little too feminine in the looks department. Something about the shape of his eyes, his lean body, his figure. 

Slade knew it too. 

Robin came a little to easily, to willingly, starting an unhealthy obsession with him as he did with Robin. The whole Red X charade gave them both a reason to meet and a reason to start, along with an appropriate cover and an appropriate excuse. 

It was so cute on how he thought that Slade didn't know. 

His thoughts on this subject were something by itself. Growing, spreading, like wildfire in a forest.... he wanted Robin all to himself...for himself... 

How the fuck did those 5 stupid teenagers outsmart his own apprentice out of him. If Robin hadn't reassured him, even when it was BARELY reassuring, that he still had a job to finish. 

Slade flipped the flimsy red X in between his fingers. 

"...You are mine...Red X..."

* * *

Red X was necessary. He had to reassure himself that every second, every second the thought of betrayal and mistrust crossed his mind, it was for the greater good. He needed the rest of the titans to be convincing, to actually think that Red X was working for Slade. **With** Slade. 

It was simple as 1 1 = 3. 

Okay maybe it wasn't so simple. 

"Damnit." Robin punched the wall again, flesh meeting pure metal as the masks fall down. It fell with a clatter, rolling around for a brief moment before finally settling down. Everything, his whole life was built on this wall. Enemies, villains, allies, and accomplishments...the whole point he stays alive was here. But, there was one section that stood out more than it was supposed too...One that hit Robin harder that he ever felt. 

Maybe it was because he always got away, or maybe it was because he was so much like him. He always keeps an imprint on his life, never letting his conscious or even subconscious forget about him. He wanted his presence to be there...he wanted to be remembered...he wanted to be **known**. 

Something about him touched him in a way no one could. Not Starfire, not Raven, not Beastboy, not Cyborg. The whole Teen Titans couldn't make him feel this way. It was on the border of obsession and worship, love and hate, life and death. So delicate and fragile that the slightest mistake could destroy it when it's already on the brink of destruction. To be honest, it never struck Robin this way. He, himself, never would've pictured himself in this...

* * *

Red X grasped the chip in between his gloved fingertips. It was so perfect...so smooth against his skin. The alarm dulled down as the guards were locked outside; the red glow was his only company...illuminating his thoughts. It was all too soon before the guards he left outside burst in to ruin his moment of pure unjaded thoughts. He could've turned back right then, stopped it all and figure the right way to do it. The problem is, he lacked patience. Slade made it clear himself, and that bugged the hell out of him. It really didn't take much anyways, one single jump dodged all their shots and left him with enough time to cloak and merge in with the ceiling and escape. 

He sent the pre-recorded video of Robin to Cyborg's communicator. Convincing them to work without him, leaving him to play Red-X. They were fast; he could at least admit that to himself. The second he stepped out of the ventilation duct they were there waiting...without holding back. He needed a show, a good one, one that could even convince himself that he wasn't Robin. That they didn't know his little secret. 

"You working for Slade, tough guy?" 

"Red-X works **alone.**" 

The shot was sent the second after 'alone' was forced out through the mask. His voice was low and mechanical sounding, a modern age robot if you will. It was aimed as an imitation of Slade, to keep the mystery behind his name. He preferred not to talk unless extremely necessary, but when communication was sent through, it was elusive. Elusive or apathetic, it depended on who he was talking too, who he was trying to convince this time around. To Slade his voice dripped with sarcasm and a dry, mature sense of humor. Aiming to impress...It was a game between them, a ground to reach closer on. That tone of voice was meant to be welcoming. Ready to start a partnership or relationship, one of the two for certain. But, when it came to the titans it was as little words as necessary, threatening and intimidating. It was so played out, so fake around two different people. Emotions shifting so easily, so fast... 

He countered the plasma beam with some pre-equipped X's he made just for this occasion. Everyone had a weakness; it was a matter of finding and conquering it. Attacking them in a certain sequence so one couldn't help the other and eventually leaving a pause in fighting and vanish into thin air and return to his cover at the Titan Tower. 

To put it simply for him, all it took was speed, endurance, aim, and quick thinking. But to back it up with the skills, was a whole different matter itself. Dodge Cyborg and keep him on the run so it would be one on one with whoever came next. Divide the main fight with all five of the Titans into separate one on one fights. It was dealing with the parenthesis part in an equation before solving it. 

He fired a stream of X's behind Cyborg's tail, making him run in retreat, as Beast Boy came cutting through the air in a shape of a lion, claws readied foreword to slice through the shallow cloth that covered his body. And to think, if they killed him right there they wouldn't have the slightest clue on who it was underneath that mask. No clue that it would be their leader sprawled dead across the rooftop with blood spilling through. It didn't matter, another custom-made X shot out of his palms, growing sticky and slimy through the air and spreading all over the changeling. It made him stick to the gravel and tar of the rooftop, handicapping him in all his forms. Despite his numerous attempts, none of the animals he could change into could escape it anyways. Red-X made sure of that. 

And of course, Starfire and Raven came in on cue, hoping to double -team him in an effort to take him down. It was so, cliché to him now, so routine. This attack pattern must've been done a hundred times, at least. He knew every twist, every turn, every surprise. Starfire would come in as usually throwing starbolts out of her hands, soon after Raven would come along with deadly and whispered magic words that were able to pull darkness itself out of literally anything. Again it was dependent on his skill as a human, lacking the power to fly, power to transform, power of magic. Lacking everything that made a superhero...super. These skills he possessed though, where super itself in a sense. Making him slightly above human somehow. They proved useful, dodging everything the ladies shot, and firing their own corresponding X back at them. Starfire fell down hopelessly with her arms crossed and bound with a material stronger than kryptonite to Superman. She couldn't shoot starbolts with her hands taped hopelessly behind her back, med just the same, slamming down the X over her mouth. Without speaking that same repeated chant over and over, it was useless. She couldn't pull her powers out without those damn words. 

And, again, cliché as it maybe, they had Cyborg sneak around the back incase Raven and Starfire failed somehow. Red-X himself had to admit that the cape plays a huge factor in most times of evading and dodging. Though it may be considered a hindrance, it gave Cyborg the slip that he actually thought he had his full grip on him. Letting Red-X step to the side and slam a circuit-breaking X and mess with his mechanics. A couple of pushed of buttons and he'll stop dead in his tracks, his system shut down. 

He was gone before they even got up and their sense straight. Throw the cloak on and disappear into the night air, as if he never really existed in the first place.

* * *

Robin's room was always kept off limits. No member was allowed to enter, nor look inside without his consent. Even when visited his figure blocked the doorway so no one could even get a peak inside. Rarely one is given permission to see the infamous wall, and the room itself. 

His room was a lot larger than it actually seemed, most of it hidden off in darkness for eyes that was adjusted to working in the dark. Usually, despite all the available energy in the whole tower, one or two single overhead lamps would illuminate a desk or his bed at all times. 

A single lone computer sat amidst against secluded corner, with its single glowing overhead lamp that provided a mere 3 feet circle of light around it. Clad in all black and gray sat Red X communicating through the screen, preparing to exchange words and plans with figure on the other line. 

He held up the object of offering as he saw the dark face come onto monitor. A blue iris stood out sharply against the three morbid colors of black, orange, and white. Curiosity and a strange look of interest were seen clearly in that eye, so much emotions and thoughts stirring around despite the pure silence coming from both ends of the vid-phone. The reason of call was forgotten in the first few minutes of contact with each other, each one trying to figure out each other's motive. To Red-X himself, that chip was a mere excuse to talk, to bring up the opportunity to start something even more than what little of a relationship they had. 

"Rumor has it you're interested...in this." 

"I'm interested in many...things." 

Slade doesn't talk like normal people. It was so, seductive, the way words rolled off his tongue. How he prolonged the small pause in between 'many' and 'things', was obviously just not coincidental. The way he accentuated certain syllables, the way he pieces together a sentence to make it seem like he wanted him in your pants now. 

It gave Red-X the chills. 

Not necessarily the bad kind of chills either. 

"Mister..." 

"X. Red-X." 

"mmMM...Catchy." 

Slade also purrs. 

"So...are you proposing a sale...or a gift?" 

He saw his eye grow slightly larger with anticipation and interest. In hopes of finally getting what he was questing so hard for. 

"A partnership. I give you the chip...you cut me in on your plans." 

"A partnership? My my...we are ambitious. But an alliance cannot be forged from one small chip, if your gonna win my trust...I require more..." "..Just tell me what you want."

* * *

Only a few minutes passed when Robin shed out of his Red-X uniform and into the typical...Robin costume he was so accustomed to wearing. The bright colors were against his taste...red green...yellow...he felt like he was dressing for Christmas more than actually crime fighting. It would explain why he made Red-X so...morbid and...black. As he pulled on the last evergreen glove, he prepared to walk out with a facade that hopefully the members would believe. 

"I had no idea Red X would pose such a threat. I should've been there." 

It scared him. How he could lie so well in front of his friends. It was so smooth, so believable that he convinced himself he was there. That this wasn't a lie. 

"You **bet** you should've been there. Look what he did to my do! I'm looking at **two** months of bad hair days!" 

Attention was focused so quickly at Raven he didn't even have a chance to respond about the stupidity of hair and how he could care less about facial features of the green haired changeling. Care.less. 

Raven was trying to mumble through the X still over her mouth. Despite that little handicap she still managed to fight back with Beast Boy who was flinging insults. Sometimes he just didn't know when to shut up, but it was entertaining none-the-less and he let it continue. Slinking away in the shadows as he watched the quarrel in front of him. Cyborg took the mature role and just ripped it off before Beast Boy made any more comments about it period. The sound of tape taking skin with it in its attempt to be removed looked so much more painful than she expressed. It took all the willpower he had to not cringe in pain, and watch Raven take it all in was something to be admired, for the moment anyways. 

"Even if you had been there, it wouldn't have mattered anyways." 

When Raven spoke, it was clear and to the point. He liked that. Robin was never one to deal with sarcasm and jokes and the such. To enlightened the mood, to sugar coat the sour taste of defeat and negative things only made it harder accept. It was stupid, really, how he analyzed the actions of each member so carefully. Speech habits, interaction habits, well it would explain how he was able to beat them. 

"Dude knew exactly how to bring each of us down. I **guarantee** he had a gadget with your name on it." 

It was appreciated, if anything, how Cyborg would try to lessen the fall and blame. It lessened some of the guilt of causing this whole ordeal in the first place. It was better to silently accept this offer of peace, rather than thank him for the attempt to make his lack of precense just the smallest bit easier. This whole inner turmoil thing for throwing friendship away for.... whatever he was feeling, wasn't exactly the best for his mental health. 

"Agreed, you need not feel guilt. We are undamaged." 

Sweet...innocent. Not even proper English...They way she pieced herself together, her words, it made it so obvious she was from a different planet. It was hard, playing the rules of lust, attraction, need, and want. Certain hands, with certain cards, had to be played at certain times to end up with what you wanted. Most of the time it wasn't controlled, based on luck, but, if wise enough...But, her fatal attraction to him wasn't something he really wanted. It was so futile sometimes. So desperately did he want to scream in her head to get a hint, a clue, something, and just leave it at best friends. 

"Hellloooo." 

It was unnecessary for him to point at his hair, his discomfort and disdain mood was clearly made with his facial expression. 

"Mostly undamaged. And we are all eager to learn what you have discovered about Slade!" He just didn't feel like talking. 

"Nothing. Lead was a dead end. I should get back to work." 

Four stunned faces stared at the retreating figure walking back into the room that held him so dearly from them. With the reason of his new found attitude and obsession that changed him so fast, so quick. And, sadly, they didn't even know how.

* * *

_Author's Notes_: Yes...based on a picture from the evil cloud. But still....dunno...Yes I will actually finish this..its so tempting too. Heh. 


End file.
